Samaritan who took killer's confession is made to quit

A Samaritans volunteer was forced to resign after telling police that a caller had confessed to murdering a woman, a court heard yesterday.

Amanda Champion, a 21-year-old with learning difficulties, was found strangled and with her throat cut near a woodland footpath in July last year.

Police had no leads in the case before Ray Osborne decided to break the Samaritans' strict confidentiality policy. He told them that James Ford had called him and said: "I've killed a girl."

Ford, a 27-year-old factory worker and amateur wrestler, made 45 phone calls to the Samaritans after the murder, telling staff that he was feeling suicidal. In August, he confessed that he had killed Miss Champion.

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Mr Osborne discussed the call with a colleague before deciding to alert the police. Detectives then had to obtain court orders to make the Samaritans reveal details of Ford's calls.

In October, Ford was traced and arrested. He had no previous convictions but was found to have a collection of pornography and books relating to death at his home in Ashford.

John Hillen, prosecuting, told Maidstone Crown Court that police were not close to solving the case when Mr Osborne contacted them. "As a result of his actions Mr Osborne's work as a Samaritan has been terminated. However, his actions led police to the murderer," said Mr Hillen.

Ford, who admitted murder, was jailed for life by Judge Andrew Patience, QC. He told Ford: "This was a grave and terrible crime. This was a killing which the court must accept appears to have been spontaneous and without premeditation.

"I accept that you have at last begun to realise the enormity of what you have done and that you are now beginning to express genuine remorse.

"What is so terribly worrying about this case is the question of motive. Why you did this terrible thing? Your motivation remains unexplained. What you did was an act of wickedness.

"You clearly have an interest in the macabre and also an obsession with death including murder by throat cutting. Amanda happened to be walking through that area of woodland at the wrong time. You grabbed hold of her, strangled her and cut her throat, causing her to suffer a terrible and lonely death."

The judge, who said Ford should spend a minimum of 15 years in jail, said that an aggravating feature was that Miss Champion was "so vulnerable". She was "kind, likeable and happy, and she had learning difficulties".

After the case, Mr Osborne said: "I heard there were no real leads and I was really on a no-brainer. I had to do it. It wasn't right that someone was out there who had done this terrible act.

"Also, I couldn't have lived with myself if he had done it again and I hadn't told anyone. I would do the same thing again now."

Det Chief Insp Dean Barnes, of Kent Police, said: "His call was a very important breakthrough but it was obviously difficult for the Samaritans because of their protocols regarding confidentiality."

A spokesman said: "Confidentiality is crucial to the integrity of the service and means that Samaritans don't reveal information about individual calls or callers.

"If a Samaritans volunteer breaks confidentiality, he or she is breaking one of the organisation's most fundamental principles and will be asked to leave.

"Samaritans volunteers may face moral dilemmas in the course of their work and the organisation offers training and support to deal with such instances.

"Samaritans is not above the law and, in instances where the police feel it is necessary, they can obtain court orders to gain access to confidential information."